With today's fall, the rupee has hit the lowest level since December 14, when it had closed at 71.90 against the dollar.

The rupee on Thursday plunged by 26 paise and closed at an over eight-month low. The rupee opened weaker at 71.65 a dollar and touched an intraday low of 71.97 before closing at 71.81 against the American currency. The depreciation in rupee's value came on the back of sharp declines in equity markets and foreign fund outflows. The sudden drop in Chinese yuan led to increased volatility in emerging market currencies, including the rupee, the report said quoting forex dealers. On Wednesday, the rupee had closed at 71.55 per dollar.

Here are ten things to know about rupee-dollar rate today:

With today's fall, the rupee has hit the lowest level since December 14, when it had closed at 71.90 against the dollar.

China's yuan fell to fresh 11-year lows on Thursday amid worries about the deepening Sino-US trade war. Spot yuan ended the domestic session down 0.34 per cent at 7.0875 per dollar, its weakest such close since March 14, 2008.

"Indian rupee fell to its lowest level since December 14, 2018, mirroring a sudden drop in Chinese yuan and a fall in domestic equity. The mood of the market changed after the chief economic advisor said (there is) no need for (fiscal) stimulus," PTI quoted VK Sharma, head PCG & capital markets strategy, HDFC Securities as saying.

The dollar index edged higher today after minutes from the Federal Reserve's July meeting showed most policy makers viewed their interest-rate cut as part of a mid-cycle adjustment, while they remained confident in a sustained US economic expansion, Mr Sharma added.

The dollar index -- which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies -- rose 0.02 per cent to 98.31.